Garmontelle
by SilverKleptoFox
Summary: When the travelers arrive in a world with a curse, no one sees it coming until it's too late. What's happening to Fai? And where is the Princess' feather?
1. A City in Ruins

This is officially my second attempt at a chapter fic, seeing as the first one died a horrible death of writer's block and lack of reviews, so any help would be greatly appreciated.^_^ This is set after Outo, with some minor spoilers for Tsubasa and xxxHolic. Most of said spoilers can be written off as Author Fancy if you haven't read far enough to catch them. Oh! And a little bit of my favourite pairing, if you can catch it. XJ

Tsubasa is copyright to CLAMP, Del Rey, Funimation and Ballantine Books.

The group landed with a thump! In a pile of snow, being launched forth from the whatever-it-is that comprised the innards of Soel Mokona.

"Geroff!" Kurogane mumbled into the snowbank as a shivering Sakura quickly scampered off the ninja's back and over to where Syaoran was standing.

"Princess, you're shivering!" He announced, worriedly, putting his hands over her shoulders, at a loss for what to do about it.

"It's just a l-l-little cold." She stuttered, smiling up at him. A huge white coat suddenly enveloped her small frame, it's vast expanses covering Syaoran as well. It was still slightly warm and very fluffy. Fai smiled down at them.

"But won't you be cold, Fai-san?" The princess stammered.

"I'm used to it." He said, accompanying the statement with one of his huge plastic smiles.

"Th-thank you." The princess replied as she snuggled into the beast of a garment, Syaoran gently escorting her over the deep snow that neither of them was familiar with, being from a desert. Fai watched them tramp through the ice with what could almost be called a smirk, but it was far to caring to have such connotations, seeing the desert children stumble through something so unfamiliar to them.

"Stupid Manjuu, landing us in such a mess..." Kurogane mumbled as he brushed cold wet ice off of his armor. He scanned the area quickly, noting the terrain with accuracy befitting his profession. When he was satisfied at the lack of the presence of any threats, he relaxed his tense shoulders.... somewhat.

"Kuro-pyu is mean! Mokona was aiming for fluffy snow instead of nasty trees!" the white thing pouted.

"You did a great job, Moko-chan!" Sakura chimed in.

"Yes, Kuro-pyon is just mad that he had to be at the bottom of the pile, his pride is very sensitive, you know." Fai chuckled.

"What did you say you stupid mage?!" Kurogane howled as her drew his sword and ran after the spindly man.

"Hyuuu! Kuro-rinta is angry!!" He laughed as he ran over the snow covered hills with the grace of a cat, one who had been raised in the terrain of ice and cold, while Kurogane's feet sunk at every step and the children raced to keep up.

"I'm gonna kill you, idiot!" Kurogane shouted, when suddenly Fai stopped running, overlooking a ridge.

"What the...." Kurogane breathed as he stomped over to see what the hell the mage was staring at that could have made him stop his flight so suddenly. "Kami-sama..." He gritted as he beheld the sight before him. It was a large city, with a great castle over to one side, ringed by six? No... seven huge towers in a circle.... making the castle itself the eighth point, and hundreds of spires throughout, but they were all damaged.... few retained their tops. Even the buildings looked dilapidated. The whole city was sheathed in ice, it covered rooftops, doorsteps, windowsills... the inhabitants walked around in coats altogether too thin for such weather, they seemed frozen to the bone. Kurogane mused that if they lived in such a frigid place, why hadn't they fashioned warmer coats, like the horrendous white thing the mage wore everywhere?

"How horrible..." Sakura said as she reached the ridge.

"I wonder what happened..." Syaoran set to scanning the area with an archaeologist's eye, looking for any evidence of calamity.

There was a moment of silence as the group beheld the sight before them, the only things that spoke were the whispers of the wind and the groans of tall, weather-beaten pines whose boughs swayed in the rhythm of the whispers' song. Then suddenly...

"Fai-san?" A small voice broke the silence. Sakura gazed up at the mage. He was staring down at the forgotten city, with the eyes of a scholar studying an impossible puzzle. His eyes glazed over as his thoughts turned inward, entranced.

"Fai-san...?" She repeated. He snapped out of his reverie.

"Sakura-chan? What is it?" He asked.

"You looked a little out of it for a second there, mage. Care to tell us what's going on?" Kurogane ordered, his curiosity piqued at the rare display of anything but annoying mirth and falsity from the mage.

"I.... don't know..." Fai replied, looking down at the ground for a moment when the wind picked up and chilled everyone, running it's icy fingers through their hair and through their bones.

"We'd better find shelter." Syaoran said, and they made their way down the steep and rocky ice-covered slope towards the city. They picked their way over the rocks with care. Kurogane used the sense of balance he had perfected through years of training, and Fai used his knowledge of icy terrain to pick his way down. Syaoran, used to climbing precarious slopes on digs, felt confident in his ability to climb down. However, he did not know the treacheries of ice, lost his footing, and almost went tumbling down the slope. Sakura tripped with him, falling flat on her bottom. With luck that only Sakura could posses, she landed on Fai's coat, which caught Syaoran and kept him from toppling over the side. The kid still landed face-first in a snowdrift, though. From his new vantage point, he spotted an old wooden sign with intricate filigree worked around some odd letters.

"Gar-mon-tel.... Garmontelle." Syaoran announced.

"What was that, kid?" Kurogane questioned, pulling the boy to his feet.

"That sign, it sad Garmontelle." He replied as the others stood.

"The city of Magic."


	2. Stigma

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle is copyright to CLAMP, Del Rey, Funimation and Ballantine Books.

"Garmontelle - The city of Magic."

They walked through one of the torn-down city gates into an abandoned region of the once-proud township. The houses stared back at them with empty eyes, and when the eyes weren't empty, they weren't human either. Half-tamed dogs sauntered away from the humans' presence. The old buildings became more and more populated, and less dilapidated, as the group traveled inward, and faces began to peer out of windows of broken glass. Soon the glass was whole, and with a roaring fireplace behind. The streets were prowled by wary-eyed men and women in thin, shaggy coats with one too many patch-jobs. The people of the city gave them no more than a suspicious glance as they went back to their tasks of lugging firewood or shriveled dried meat or other such insubstantial means of living.

"It might be best to stay near the center of town..."Syaoran muttered. The travelers nodded silently.

"But where do we stay, Syaoran-kun? I don't think these people can offer up much." Sakura asked.

"One of the towers." Fai answered. He pointed to one of the seven spires that ringed the city, specifically one that looked to have more than just two floors still standing. He gave a quick cough, then continued: "They look to be abandoned, yet they're at the center of the town, and if my guess is correct, they're furnished."

"And why would you say that, mage?" Kurogane chided.

"Well, we won't know if Fai-san is right until we get there." Syaoran interjected.

Fai was right, the tower they had chosen was not only furnished and abandoned, but quite a bit dusty. There was a staircase ringing the stacked rooms in the center, one room per floor with a somewhat-working kitchen on the bottom. Kurogane took the first floor, to protect the rest in case of ambush. The room seemed to be some sort of drawing-room, with a broken chair and an old desk lying on it's side. Syaoran took the second, to protect Sakura. This room seemed to be some sort of library, or at least it was. There were shelves lining every wall, but no books were present, save for one in tatters on the stairs. Sakura was on the third floor, what looked to bean old bedroom. The bedframe was in pieces, and the cot -for it couldn't be called a mattress- was lumpy but serviceable. Fai took the fourth, saying he didn't mind the occasional freezing draft that came through the cracked walls. The fourth floor was devoid of anything but a chair on one side of the circular room. There was nothing on the fifth floor, just bare stone floors and gaping holes in the wall, and pale sunlight filtered through the gap where the staircase led to the sixth floor, which was merely that, a floor. No ceiling and only the stumps of walls remained, as if the tower was crumbling all around them.

"Hyuuuu, this place needs cleaning." The mage announced as they all congregated in the pillaged kitchen on the ground floor, which was really nothing more than a fire-pit and half of a table with a selection of chairs and broken dishware."We should get to work Sakura-chan!"

"It's alright, princess," Syaoran said "Kurogane-san and I will go out into the town to search for now."

"Thank you, Syaoran-kun." She replied.

"You should search for firewood before you start hunting feathers, Kuro-chii." Fai interjected in his mocking voice, but Kurogane saw the look in his eyes, noting the severity of the matter if the request wasn't followed.

"Come on kid, let's go." The ninja grunted, with a look over his shoulder to the princess nod the mage before he closed the heavy oak door.

Fai coughed. "Well, we'd better get to work!" Fai flashed the princes one of his trademark plastic smiles, holding up a scrap of fabric from the upholstery on the chair in Kuro-manta's room, and Sakura beamed back at him.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but we're new to the area. My name is Syaoran and I'm writing a book of stories from different places. Are there any old stories or strange happenings that you could tell me about?" The kid asked politely, using the same lines again. The lady he was talking to merely looked up at Kurogane with suspicion.

"And why would a writer need such manpower, hmmm?"She questioned.

"I'm his father, I was going to go look for firewood and the brat wanted to tag along." Kurogane lied off the cuff, adjusting the trim bundle of sticks held over his shoulder. The woman seemed wary to accept his answer, but it was good enough.

"Well then I guess I can tell you a little bit. Garmontelle used to be a proud city, with great green fields of crops and rich resources, and the Septimagi kept it all running smoothly. But about two years ago all the Septimagi suddenly disappeared within days of each other. Ever since then the crops have been failing, the weather is bitter, there is no gold to buy good cloth, the king has holed himself up in his palace, and what's more, any child born with the spark vanishes within days of birth, and no one knows why." The lady cryptified as she pulled up her ragged hood and walked back down the path she was on, obviously not about to give any more information than that.

"Any idea what all that meant, kid?" Kurogane asked.

"That story sounded rehearsed, like she's said it many times before. Either she's lying, or they've had this problem for a while, and none of the travelers who pass through have been able to help. I'm not sure what the Septimagi are, but it sounds familiar, like one of the languages father studied. I know Sept is a number, and I think magi is someone who is very wise.... so... the Wise Ones maybe?" He replied.

"It would make sense." Kurogane said, and they left it at that.

Fai had been feeling strange ever since their arrival in this world, he had brushed it off as something minor, maybe a reaction to being back in the cold o suddenly, and plastered on his false smile as not to worry the others, but it was getting worse. As he was sorting through broken dishes finding those suitable enough to use, the world began to spin. He tried to catch himself on the counter, but he slipped onto in a crash of broken pottery, and the world went black.

"Fai-san!" Sakura's cry awoke him seconds later as she came down the stairs covered in dust to see what the commotion was. "What happened, Fai-san?! Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine Sakura-chan, I just slipped on a rag and broke a plate." He came up with a plausible story quickly, scratching the back of his head to bolster the "I'm an idiot" impression he was trying to convey. Luckily there was grime on the floors and the broken dishware supported his story.

"Phew!" Sakura huffed. "Don't worry me like that Fai-san, I thought someone was breaking in!"

"It's alright Sakura-chan," He said as he brushed himself off. "I'm fine, and no one is going to get past that big door without us knowing. Now you just go back upstairs while I clean up down here."

"Mhm!" she nodded with determination as she trotted back up the fights.

After her footsteps could no longer be heard, Fai pulled up a chair and sat down with his head in his hands. Something was definitely wrong.


	3. Translation

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle is copyright to CLAMP, Del Rey, Funimation and Ballantine Books.

That night they built fires in all the fireplaces of the broken tower they were staying in to keep warm, while everyone sat on a ragged blanket and ate dried meat and scrawny beans they had bargained for off of scratched and broken plates and discussed what had happened.

"The people here seem to be very suspicious of outsiders," Syaoran mentioned. "Most people wouldn't tell us anything, no matter how politely we asked. One lady did tell us something interesting though... She said that the reason this place is in ruins is that all their Wise Ones suddenly vanished about two years ago."

"Why would that have anything to do with the land, though?" Questioned Fai.

"She said they kept everything in order." Kurogane answered.

"Do you think it might be a feather?" Asked the Princess.

"I don't know, Sakura-hime... It might be." Syaoran answered. Sakura downcast her eyes, ashamed at the thought that she might be the cause of this world's misfortune. Syaoran laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure it will be fine though." He smiled.

"Hmm... that still sounds a bit off to me..." Fai mumbled. "I'm going with you tomorrow, Syaoran. I want to check something."

"But what about Sakura-chan? She'll be all alone." Chided Mokona.

"I want to come, too!" Sakura announced. "Maybe I can help!"

"But princess, this world is dangerous!" Syaoran stammered.

"But Kurogane-san and Fai-san and Syaoran-kun can protect me, right?" She asked.

"She's right. She's better off with all of us than just one." Said the ninja.

"Well...I suppose... so long as one of us stays with her at all times..." Syaoran conceded.

Sakura's smile brightened.

When the sun rose on the tattered remains of the once-proud structure that the five travelers were effectively squatting in, only two sets of eyes witnessed it. Kurogane, who rose with the sun all his life, and Fai, who had been awakened sometime beforehand by something he did not know, and was currently sitting, leaning against one of the walls of his quarters with a splitting headache that refused him peace.

'_What is _wrong_ with me?_' He thought to himself. '_I better not tell the others about this, they'll only worry... but how do I make it seem like I'm fine when I can't even think straight?_' He forced himself up, and carefully picked his way down the stairs. '_Good, the others are still asleep._' he mused. As he reached the bottom landing, he tipped over something on the stairs - a stray cat - and barely caught himself on the railing. '_That was close...'_ He poured some of the water they had boiled into a chipped cup and drank it, and soon his ailment was gone.

"Must've just been dehydration..." He mumbled as he went for a second cup.

About that time Kurogane came out of his room and saw the mage.

"Oi, what're you doing up so early?" He asked.

"I could say the same thing of you, Kuro-bird!" Fai replied through his mask of joy.

"... Mage..."

"Fine, fine. If you must know the sunlight came in right in my eyes, and I simply couldn't ignore it! Isn't it pretty when it reflects off the snow?" He rambled. Kurogane seemed to take it as a good enough answer, but you never knew with the man. '_That was close... again...'_ Fai thought.

Soon the whole group was up and ready to go, the princess wearing the mage's shorter military-style coat for warmth. They seemed to have little luck as they probed the villagers with questions, and so when they met back up around noon, they were quite distraught. The mage showed up with the princess and the pork bun, and the ninja with the kid, and they sat near a frozen fountain in the town square.

"Did you come up with anything?" Asked Sakura.

"No, nothing new." Syaoran replied.

"Well, we didn't either." Fai chirped.

"Maybe we should try a different tactic." Kurogane suggested.

"What do you mean Kuro-koga?" Fai inquired.

"Well, in battle, when one way of attack doesn't work, you use something different." The ninja replied.

"That's a great idea Kurogane-san!" Sakura enthused.

"Kuro-rinta is so smart!" Fai said with a smirk. Kurogane side-glanced the mage, knowing full well that the man had seen battle.

"So what do we do, exactly?" Asked Syaoran.

"Well, we could change our parties. Princess, you and the pork bun come with me. Mage, you take the kid" Kurogane suggested.

"Kuro-dan is mean! Mokona is not a pork bun!" The puffball squealed. As the group again went it's separate ways to search.

"So Syaoran, tell me again where you heard about these Wise Ones." Fai asked. "I'd like to hear it for myself."

"Well, an old woman told us down by the edge of town. But she didn't say Wise Ones, exactly, it was some other word that I had to translate." The boy replied.

"What word was it, exactly?" Fai questioned, sensing something amiss.

"Well it was a word from a really old language, I can't remember it exactly. It sounded sort of like "Sectamaja..." or maybe "Segtamapi..." Or something like that..." The boy scratched his head.

"Septimagi?" Fai replied.

"Yeah! That was it! How did you know?" Syaoran asked.

"Well I am a mage, even if I don't use my power." Fai chuckled.

"What does that have to do with Wise Ones?" the boy inquired.

"Oh... Septimagi doesn't mean "Wise Ones." It means 'The Clan of Seven Mages.'" Fai replied.

"So then... that would mean all the _mages _disappeared..."Syaoran mumbled.

"... you're right..." Fai said pensively. Fai stopped in his tracks, eyebrows furrowed.

"What's wrong, Fai-san?" Syaoran asked worriedly.

Fai put his fingers to his forehead and winced slightly. _Damn..._he thought through his re-occuring migraine, _what could this mean!?_ "Syaoran, this lady you met, did she mention anything about children born with magical ability? She may have called it a 'spark'."

"Y-yeah, she did. She said they disappeared a few days after they were born." The boy replied.

_Damn it!_ Fai thought. _So anyone with magical ability succumbs to this whatever-it-is... that explains a lot. _"Are you sure she said disappeared?" Fai asked.

"No, she actually said 'vanished.' Why, Fai-san? Is something going on?" The boy asked worriedly.

"It's nothing major." The mage pacified. "I've just been feeling a little off lately, I haven't been in a cold world like this since we started our journey."

"Oh... I'm sorry to have dragged you out here..." the kid said.

"No, no, it's my fault,"Fai replied, starting to feel quite dizzy. " I thought there was something strange in that story and wanted to see what it was. Besides, it was only momentary, probably the sun's glare off the snow. Anyway, I think we should spit up and search individually, people seem to be wary of others when they travel in groups." Fai said, eager for a way out of this situation.

"You're right, yesterday no one would speak with us except that old woman, they kept eyeing Kurogane." Syaoran replied.


	4. Revelation

"_There's definitely something wrong . . . "_

"Oi, kid! Where's the mage?" Kurogane inquired as he saw Syaoran walking toward him only a quarter of an hour after they had separated. The boy had his hands in his pockets, walking briskly.

"We split up to search more effectively, or at least that's what he said." The kid replied, staring of into the distance pensively. "I don't believe it for a second, but he seems to think it so. I did my best to act as if I had no idea."

"Well, we'll just have to keep an eye on him without him noticing." Kurogane replied.

"Stubborn bastard, won't even tell us when something's bothering him."

"That's just how Fai-san is . . . " The princess mumbled softly, fidgeting with her dress and one of Fai's coats, which he had lent her to keep out the cold. "He thinks if he denies his problems to the world, then he won't have to face them."

Mokona 'puu'ed in her arms. "Fai-san . . . " it mumbled.

_Fai stumbled through the streets alone, barely able to stand. The world was reeling around him. His head ached worse than when he had first overused his magic in Celes . . . Oh gods it hurt!_

"Did you learn anything else?" the ninja asked his apprentice, his gaze steely as he watched the horizon, as if it would tell him what was going on with the wizard.

"Yes. I was speaking with Fai-san about what we learned yesterday, he seemed to know something about it." The kid replied thoughtfully, cupping his chin in his hands.

"What did he say?" The ninja asked, gaze flickering from one rooftop to the other.

"Well, I was telling him about the story of the Septimagi vanishing, but I couldn't remember what they were called. But Fai knew right off the bat . . . Oh! And he said that "Septimagi" doesn't mean wise ones, but it means "the seven great mages" or something like that. Then he asked me something quite odd . . . " He trailed off

_He needed a place where no one would be. He was almost to the edge of the city! He couldn't go back to the tower, what if someone saw? The edge of the trees was right in front of his eyes . . . He couldn't worry the princess, or the kid, or Kurogane . . . but what to do? He stumbled on a stone hidden under the snow and collapsed into the icy whiteness._

"What did he say?" Mokona inquired, its little eyebrows raised.

Syaoran looked Kurogane straight in the face. "He asked about children born with magic in this world." Kurogane's eyes widened fractionally, the princess quirked her head. "When I told him that they disappeared, he asked if that was verbatim from what I heard, so I said that the term was 'vanished.'" Syaoran looked down at the ground. "That's when something suddenly seemed wrong. He was very quick to suggest we split up." Sakura put her hand on Syaoran's shoulder and asked if he thought Fai-san would be all right.

"I don't know, princess . . . " he replied.

Suddenly Kurogane started walking, and the children were quick to follow. "So the mages of this world are disappearing, the mage has something wrong with him that he doesn't want us to know about, and the people of this town don't want us to know about it either." He stated. "He's been hiding something since we entered this world."

"He seemed out of it as soon as we landed . . . " The princess added.

"And this morning he was up early, and gave me some crap story as to why." Said Kurogane.

"And just now he had to stop in the middle of speaking because of vertigo, and practically ran off." Finished Syaoran.

"It's been two days in this world . . . " Mokona stated.

"We'll just have to watch." Kurogane replied. "Kami knows if we try to confront him about it he'll only hide it even more. If we pretend not to notice he'll slip up and tell us something."

".....Right . . . " Syaoran said, looking at his princess, who seemed to be thinking quite hard about something.

_He managed to pull himself up and was about to stand when_ _suddenly it hit him all at once, a gut-wrenching pain out of nowhere. He couldn't breathe, only gasp in shock as the agony tore him from the inside out. He collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest in pain. His eyes were wide with the agony. His hands shook. His heart beat faster. Oh gods he wanted it to end, for it all to be over! He fell to his side, laying there crumpled in the snow, the_ _only barrier between him and frozen death was his slowly-chilling coat._

"Princess, what is it?" the boy questioned.

"Why would Fai-san want to know the exact words the woman had spoken?" She asked, brows furrowed. "Do you think it might mean something?"

"What if it has another meaning? Mokona?" The boy inquired, picking up the creature.

"Mokona can only translate exactly what people say. If they mean something different by it, Mokona will not know." The pork bun answered.

"No answers there, huh?" Kurogane remarked gruffly.

"Why do you ask, princess?" Syaoran placed the pork bun back in his arms. Sakura shivered slightly, enclosed her arms around herself, and looked down.

_His vision was growing darker . . . _

"Because . . . " she stammered. "Because . . . "she pointed to a metal gate that they had passed by not a moment ago. "Because, well, I might be wrong, as all I know is what someone taught me of other languages, and I can't even remember who it was" She rushed though her words, "but doesn't that engraving say 'The Place of The Vanished?'"

Her finger pointed to a large metal gate, with some type of blocky script on it.

"You're right, that _is_ what it says . . . " Syaoran commented, before anyone had a chance to look at what lay beyond the iron gate.

_The world was spinning...._

Sakura gasped in fright, Syaoran stared ahead in shock, Kurogane clenched his fists in rage. Beyond the gate lay a plot of land covered in snow, untouched by footprints. Every once in a while the icy covering would yield to a stone structure. Some were beautifully carved, others plain, some older than others. They were tombstones. It was a graveyard.

"Vanish......"Syaoran gritted though his teeth. " It means...."

_The world went dark as the mage fell into frozen oblivion._

"Fai-san!"


	5. The Price of Salvation

"What is the news of the kingdom?"' resounded a voice in the shadows, eminating from a gilt throne in the cold damp throneroom of the palace. A soft light emmted in the arms of the man, an ethereal plume glowing with power. It pulsed in time with a heartbeat miles away, one that was growing slower... weaker.... with every passing minute. " It has been acting strangley, as it has not done for years."

"My Lord Rey, it seems there is a mage in the city." replied another voiice, grating, from its position kneelinmg on the throneroom floor. "My spies have also told me of a group of travelers, they aks strange questions."

"Such as?" The Rey inquired.

"Mistress Hibbins, the old woman, has spoken with them. A young boy and a strange looking man asked her if any strange occurances had been reported, and old folk stories as well. Theyboy claimed he was writing a volume of literature recording old tales from variuos lands, but he didn't have any means of taking down notes, If thou asked me I would say it seemed suspicious."

"And what of the mage?" The Rey questioned imaptiently.

"He has already begun to succumb to the.."

"I know that much! Doest the not see the actions of the plume? Where is he!" he shouted.

"We do not know sir," the informer replied " He was seen making his way towards the outskirts off the city, your Reydrey, but he seemed to be succumbing quickly."

"Indeed, we shall sooon see the true motives of these intruders...."

"Your majesty, make I make a suggestion?"

"No! Silence! Hold thy toungue, snark! You will not propose to order your Rey! Begone!"

************

Thw witch looked up from her place lounging on the back porch of the shop. The sky was as clear as day, not a cloud in sight, yet there was a storm in the relection of her eyes. She sighed and called Watanuki over.

"Clear the spare room, Watanuki." She ordered briskly, her thought wandering.

"Why do you want the spare room cleaned? We never use it! What could you possibly be planning, you crazy... crazy..... you witch!"

Yuuko merely smirked that omnipotent smirk she had, and replied "We'll be having a vsisitor soon, and they'll be staying for a while. We wouldn't want to seem inhospitable, now would we Watanuki?"

The young man merely closed his mouth in silent understanding and stalked off to do his afforementioned duty.

****

"call the witch!" Kurogane ordered as they came across their fallen comrade on the outskirts of the city. Sakura was crying, Syaoran hel mokona as the ninja attempted to revive the frozen mage. He cradled his limp form, lifting it out of the freezing ice of the snow. "Heis coat's frozen solid...." He muttered as he removed it from the wizard's frozen corpse, attempting to warm him. All efforts were useless, as the refugee of another frozen land was no longer breathing. Suddenly the figure of the witch appeared.

"What is it you wish?" she inquired.

"Please Yuuko-san, help Fai-san! We don't know what to do... he's not breathing.." Sakkura cried.

"You know the dead cannot be brought back." The witch Replied.

"We know, Yuuko-san, but... is there anything,... anything at all you can do?" Syaoran asked.

"You're very lucky you found Fai when you did, he is not dead yet, but time is runing short. There is a price, you realize?"

"Who cares! We'll pay your stupid price, whatever it is!"

"Even if you must give up the very thing you wish to keep?"

No one spoke.

Kurogane answered.

"If it means the mage will live, it's better for us to miss a live mage than a dead one." He stated under his breath.

"Then your wish is granted."

Suddenly the mage began to rise from the ninja's arm, floating in tendrilsof magic reminiscent of those which transported them from world to world.... then he simply vanished.

Kurogane dropped his arms, and his eyes looked to the ground. Sakura wept in Syaoran's arms.

The mage was gone.


	6. A Butterfly's Wish

There was only darkness. He wondered if there was going to be a light shining soon, like it did all the other times he was here, in the darkness.... like he had read in the stories... but the light didn't come. So he continued to merely exist in the darkness... neither floating, or sitting.... as a matter of fact he couldn't feel his body at all, yet he was conscious of _something_.... even if he didn't know what that something was.... But his mind was starting to drift again, and it wasn't pleasant when his mind drifted.... sauntered away to a snow-covered land, with an Emperor and a mother's grave.... and a mirror that walked and talked with him, and only him..... So he fell back into the dark folds of silence, and they welcomed him with frozen arms.

&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Sakura had been crying that morning when Syaoran came to her room to go feather-hunting once more.

"Princess?" He questioned tentatively, crossing the room in careful steps, unsure of what might be bothering his amnesiac love but worried all the same. "What's wrong?"

"I...I had a dream about Fai-san...." She sniffed though the remnants of her tears. "When we were back in Outo, and we were cleaning the shop together, and he had chocolate all over his apron and didn't realize it... then you and Kurogane-san came in, and Fai-san called Kurogane-san one of his nicknames, and Kurogane-san started chasing him around the room, and you and I were laughing and Mokona was singing about Daddy chasing Mommy around, and Kurogane-san got mad and tried to hit Mokona.... but he missed....."

The princess paused, another tear slowly tracking down her sun-tanned cheek. Syaoran sat down beside her.

"What happened next?"

Sakura lowered her head and took a breath. "Kurogane-san hit a mirror, and it cracked, but... Fai-san.... he was broken, too... just like the mirror. Then they both fell to the floor... in pieces.... and no matter what we did we couldn't help Fai-san.... the shards were just pieces of ice.... Then Kurogane-san was about to say something... and I woke up. Do you think it means Fai-san is in

trouble? Syaoran?" She asked frantically, her watery eyes compelling.

"It was just a dream, princess. I'm sure Fai-san is fine. Yuuko said he was going to be okay, and we just have to trust her." He said with the traces of a smile, using the technique of the very man they were speaking of to try and comfort her.

"Do you think we'll ever get to see Fai-san again?" She whispered.

"I don't know, princess. I don't know." The smile was gone.

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Well this was odd..... He could hear things... someone was talking.... but he still couldn't see anything. Usually it was the other way around, wasn't it? Ah! There it was... the light flickering to the right of his visual field..... oh wait...that was strange.... maybe someone cut the world in half? He felt as if he wanted to laugh.. But he couldn't. Abruptly he could feel his body, sense where his limbs were placed. He was lying on his back.... that was strange.... he always slept on his stomach.... why would he be on his back? Perhaps the world had turned upside down instead.....

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

"How is our guest?" Yuuko inquired of her one and only employee as she lounged on the back porch.

"He's about as animated as a rock." Watanuki said irritably. "Why couldn't you just give them something to fix him, instead of bringing him here?"

"Because it was the world itself that was killing him." She said with a smirk. "I suppose your help with the ordeal warrants you the information, so don't worry about a price." The witch tapped the ash out of her kiseru and continued. "The world he was in has a curse on it that slowly kills anyone with magical ability. Well, maybe kill isn't the right word.... it's caused by one of the feathers that his group is searching for... how ironic, ne? Anyway, the curse merely suspends then into state of magic where all bodily functions cease. They do not breathe, their heart does not even beat. But they are still alive. The people of this world never realized this, and so buried al of their afflicted mages. It's almost chilling o think of what will happen if that group finds the feather and removes it... all those people with magical power buried alive." She tapped her kiseru again, then took a long drawl from it. "But it's beyond the allowances of interference to tell them that." She said with an upward glance to a couple of birds fighting over a butterfly.

"Oh.... well.... so... how long will it take him to wake up?" Watanuki asked, gingerly avoiding the subject of people buried alive.

"That I do not know." She smirked. "In the meantime!" She beamed "go fix us some dango!" Mokona Larg popped out of nowhere and began doing a little dance about bringing out the sake while Watanuki stormed off to fulfill the witch's wishes.

"Yuuko-san wants to talk to Fai-san." Mokona muttered in Yuuko's lap. "Mokona can tell. Yuuko-san misses Fai-san. She misses having people who know magic to talk to."

Yuuko chuckled. "Clow Reed made you very well didn't he Moko-chan?" Mokona nodded. " Well, Mokona is right. That's why we didn't have Kurogane-san pay the equivalent of Fai-san's life. Imagine how much that would cost, Moko-chan! You'd have to take into account the cost of a life in itself, plus his royal lineage, all his magic power, all he _knows_ about magic, and both curses, that would be quite a hefty sum. But no one can pay the first part, the price of a life, anyway."

"Because even if you pay with your own, it still can't compensate for another's." Mokona stated matter-of factly.

"Precisely."Yuuko ruffled the little creature's ears as they went to the kitchen for Watanuki's delicious dango.

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

He opened his eyes to a sea of butterflies floating above him.... but they weren't moving.

_Oh_....._it's a curtain_...... He thought to himself as he looked around, trying to determine where exactly he was. But the same pain he remembered from a ruined city covered in snow assaulted him once more, dragging him back down into the frozen arms of darkness.


	7. Mirrors of Magic in the Mages' Minds

"The Rey, may his name be blessed, wishes to see you. He has heard of your arrival in this world and wishes to welcome you to our land." Syaoran read the letter that the messenger had brought them, being the only one who could thoroughly interpret the script. "We shall expect your arrival as soon as possible."

"And why haven't we heard of this king before?" Kurogane drilled the messenger, who stared straight back into his eyes, unfazed.

"We have a laissez-faire system, so the king doesn't directly interfere with the economy." He replied cheerily, smiling a foxlike grin.

Sakura fidgeted with her dress. "I think it's a good idea. We could ask him about..."

"The culture of this land." Interjected Syaoran, quickly preserving their story. "Who better to ask about a country than its ruler?"

"Alright, we'll go see this _Rey._" Kurogane grimaced discontentedly, fingering his sword hilt absent-mindedly. "Lead the way."

And so the three weary travelers followed the messenger of the Rey. Kurogane's eyes never left the newcomer's back as they plodded through the frozen crunching earth beneath their feet. In turn, the messenger never looked back. He never spoke. Sakura held on tight to Syaoran's arm, Mokona was buried deep within the thick fur of Fai's coat as it trailed behind Sakura, still smelling of smiles and sweets and jokes.

They walked all the way to the outskirts of the city, where the walls surrounding it were still intact. They could see the castle from where they stood at the end of a long rue. The two towers that flanked the castle were still recognizable, battered as they were by the harsh elements they were not built to withstand, vulnerable without their magic to protect them.

The castle gates were opened to them, and they entered warily. Guards in black coats buttoned up to the chin formed an avenue which they strode the center of, their cold, shaded, emotionless eyes watching the traveler's every step. The messenger's grin never faltered. Sakura clung tighter to Syaoran, as Kurogane muttered a growl deep within the cavern of his throat.

They entered into the royal throne room, and there, sitting on a heavily gilded throne, sat the Rey, in all his conceited self-absorbed glory, and in his hand, a glowing feather in a glass box.

"MEKYO!"

"The Feather!!"

"SEIZE THEM!!!"

"Sakura-hime!!!!"

"Get the creature!"

"KID!!!"

Utter confusion ensued as the three travelers were separated from their furry companion, chained, and driven down, deep down, into the bowels of the fortress.

!#&!#&!#&!#&!#&!#&!#&!#&!#&!#&

"PUU!!!" Exclaimed Mokona Larg as it received a transmition from Soel. It showed a horrid scene of Soel being pulled away from those it had come to call as family, taken away, and caged.

"Yuuko-san! They've taken Sakura-chan, and Syaoran-kun, and Kuro-pipi!"

"I know, Moko-chan." The witch comforted, her mind instantly flying, trying to figure out a way to save them... without interfering... a wish that would not be too costly.... something, anything.

"Wh-what about Kuro-chan? And S-s-Sakura-hime? What's going on? Wha... What's......Where am I?" Fai question breathlessly, leaning heavily against the bedroom doorframe in a thin yukata, hair sticking to his forehead with sweat. "....Yuuko-san?" His balance wobbled, and he slowly, as least to the Witch's eyes, slid down the doorframe to rest against it. She hurried to his side.

"You're fever's still high. You haven't fully recovered from the curse of Garmontelle.... the feather must be the source...." She tapered off her words, her fingers lingering on his forehead. Fai grasped her hand from his brow, his eyes shaded by his locks.

"What's happened to them? What curse are you talking about? Why am I here and where is my family?!" He stammered. His eyes went wide as soon as the words left his mouth. Suddenly realizing he was in too deep, he sat straight against the door and resorted to his automatic reaction.... smile. "Well, you know Mokona is always making jokes about us being a family..."

"You don't have to smile here, Fai-san. There's no one to fool, remember?" Yuuko interjected, her wise eyes piercing over her knowing smile.

"Yes.... I had forgotten. I'm in way to deep, am I not?" the Mage chuckled sardonically.

"You could not have avoided it even if you had tried. It is your fate to be with them. You've known this for a long time, haven't you?" She remarked, sitting down upon the floor and gazing towards the ceiling.

"Before I even met them.... I knew I would. I would meet the princess, the clone, and the Witch's pawn." He drifted off in his words. "Sorry... That's just what I knew him as before I met you..." attempting to qualify his statement.

"It's quite alright, I know how Fei Wong works." She giggled sarcastically.... with a touch of mirth.

"I apologize for my previous behavior.... I don't quite feel myself..." He remorsed, looking down at his hands.

" You're not to blame for that. The world you came from had a curse put upon it that only affects those with magical power. It was slowly killing you. Those three made a wish for me to save you, and the price of that wish was that you had to be separated from them, so I just had Larg bring you here. Of course, they have no idea where you are."

"Well that explains everything. But why .... what's happened to them?" He asked anxiously. His eyes spelled out how much he cared for them, for the noble clone, the bonded warrior and the fated princess.

"Apparently the ruler of the country has taken them captive."She replied solemnly.

There was a silence between the two Mages. Both messengers of fate, yet unable to control their own, despite knowing it in detail. Both operating under false names and living with families that weren't really theirs, both accomplished practitioners of the smiling mask.....

"I want to help them. I want to return."

"There will be a price."

"I know."


	8. Benefactor

1The four travelers sat in the cramped, frozen cellar, huddled together for warmth and trying to come up with a plan. The walls were dark, long covered in a layer of ice that made their clothes wet and froze the skin. The situation was desolate, and it was made all the worse by the absence of their ever-cheery blonde compatriot.

Kurogane had tried cutting down the door with his sword, but to no avail. The walls seemed imperious to any of his attacks. Syaoran, in a burst of genius, tried to melt the ice and warm the cellar with the fire cast from summoning his sword, but the ice was much to thick, and only made puddles of freezing water that quickly solidified.

"We have to get out of here." Kurogane muttered to himself for the umpteenth time. Being trapped was putting him on edge, making him unable to see clearly.

"We know, Kurogane-san, but we still don't have any idea how to." Syaoran sighed despondently.

Sakura hung her head in the corner. "I'm sorry, everyone. This is all my fault. If it weren't for my feather we wouldn't be in this mess... I just wish I could..."

"No, Princess." She was interrupted by Syaoran putting a hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head to meet his gaze. "We all knew what we were getting into when we came on this journey. You are not to blame. I chose this, not you."

Sakura sniffed and wiped an imaginary tear from her eye. "Thank you, Syaoran-kun. And you too, Kurogane-san... you both chose to help me when I needed it most, even though I could give you nothing in return, even though you hardly knew me. And Fai-san too, none of you even knew who I was, but you still stood by me. Thank you so much." She smiled.

Inside his chest, Syaoran's heart cracked a little further. The Princess's heartfelt words only served to remind him that she would never remember him, never remember their time together as children, or his love for her.

"Poor Fai-san... he looked so frail when we saw him last... I wonder where he's gone to... and if we'll ever see him again..." Sakura mused to no one in particular.

"Heh, stupid mage probably landed himself on some beach with a margarita and is running around like a fool right now." Kurogane muttered half-heartedly.

"Kurogane-san, what's a margarita?" Puzzled Syaoran, eyebrows quirked.

"..." The warrior creased his eyebrows. "You know what, I don't really know. Mage was talking about it back in the Hanshin Republic... some sort of beverage..."

The air lifted a little bit in the cramped cell with talk of far-off places, but quickly settled back in the silence that followed. They were still trapped in a dark, cold cellar with no way out.

"I wish there was something that would free us from this place." Sakura suddenly exclaimed, breaking the silence. Within seconds, Mokona had transformed to bring some sort of object forth from his mouth - a glowing blue and gold ring, the size of a small plate, spiraling with Cyrillic runes.

"What the heck is that?" Kurogane questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"I'm quite glad you asked."

The voice belonged to none other than Yuuko herself, speaking from a projection of Mokona's jewel.

"It is a torc - a ring placed around the neck that imbues the wearer with magic so long as it is worn. Sakura, it will work for you and do as you command. Use it to free yourself and your companions and reprieve your feather." The Witch explained.

"But... what about the price? Surely something of such great power must come with a great price." Syaoran inquired, wary of her answer.

"The price for this has already been paid by another. Now go, time is of the essence. Find the ruler of this kingdom and retrieve the feather before it is too late." Yuuko warned them.

"Too late for what exactly?" Asked Kurogane, but the witch was already gone.

A tense silence passed between them as they exchange nervous glances. Then Sakura, with utmost care, placed the torc around her neck and bent its arms to conform to her shape. The ring then no longer glowed, but turned to a brilliant golden color, disguising itself as an ordinary piece of jewelry.

"I... I don't know how to use this magic..." she muttered.

"Try willing it to do as you want, maybe it will work for you." Her companion suggested.

She walked towards the barred door and stood before it. _Open!_ she though to herself, and then, there appeared upon the door a circle of glowing blue runes. They quickly faded, and the door was opened.

Then the dimensional travelers escaped into the passage that lie beyond, and set off to find and reclaim the Princess' feather before it was too late for an outcome they did not know.


End file.
